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1-21-08

NAMM Show ’08, Surviving Another Year!

Most people give thanks for being alive yet another year on their Birthday, Thanksgiving, New Year... but my special holiday to give thanks to staying above ground each year is during the NAMM Show. For those who have experienced this awesome musical event, you know what it's like. For those who haven't, it's like being in a huge musical instrument store during the day, and a huge nightclub theme park at night.

NAMM is like being in a musical marathon, especially if you have to play at a booth/s, lugging your gear around the floor, through the crowd, especially on Saturday. The reward is great, though, and meeting so many types of musicians and fans, some who I've known and corresponded for a while online, now meeting them in person for the first time, and re-connecting with the regular contacts, friends, fellow band mates from my days in Detroit, to the present here in LA.

It was great to see my good friend, and killer guitarist, Andre Frappier, who was here to play at the Roland Theater each day with the 'Detroit Hip-Hop All-stars.' The main band is made up of Ne-Yo's band, which Andre plays guitar in, and they're getting some serious props in the biz as they get more popular. We hung out after his set on Saturday, and kept running into more people we both knew from Detroit, and it was a blast. Andre and I were in the Thornetta Davis band for a few years, and played many shows together, including both shows we played opening for Ray Charles in 2001 and 2002, just before he past away.

Friday night was great, where I spent most of my time in the club at the Hilton for the 'Wimbash,' put together by Doug Wimbish. I got there to see George Lynch and Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodoom), tear it up for a while with Jonathan Mover on drums. Ritchie Kotzen came out later to sing 'Tooth And Nail' which sounded great.

A new friend I met on Myspace is Anthony Lawrence, a very talented 18 year old guitarist from the East Coast, who teaches and is working on a chord book with Alexi Laiho. He took the stage, along with a young female drummer, and they just tore it up!! Looking forward to where Anthony will be in a few years.

Next up was Dave Ellefson and Ripper Owens, and the guitarist from Soulfly, and they started with a few bars of 'Holly Wars' then Dave played his signature opening riff to "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying" and the place went nuts; well, at least I did. Then they played 'Breakin' The Law' and 'Grinder' by Judas Priest, as well as 'Paranoid' and some other tunes I can't remember (on my 13th Heineken by then??).

Living Colour went on last, Vernon Reid, Doug Wimbish, Corey Glover, and Will Clahoun. Incredible playing. Can't say much more about it.

Went out to the smoker's area and hung out with Drum Lord, Gene Hoglan. Grew up with many bands Gene was in, like Dark Angel, Death, and he's gong to be drumming with Forbidden!! Saw my bud Alex Skolnick just long enough to say hi as he was headed toward his hotel room, telling me how exhausted he was, and I was pretty much in the same physical state myself. Did I go to the hotel to get some rest?? Noooooo, I kept on drinking, and drinking, and drinking, and drinking, and drinking, and drinking, and drinking.... then headed to Denny's with the coolest Canuk at the show, who I first met last year, who I call Amy Canada. Ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, then back to the hotel where I laid in bed in a fetal position most of the night, clutching my stomach in pain.

The next day/night was more of the same, saw some great playing by Rob Balducci, who was later joined on stage by Guthrie Govan, an amazing guitarist form England.

I left the show with my latest addition to my EA bass gear family, my new Micro 300 bass head, which puts out 300 watts into 4 ohms, and weighs 2.5 pounds!! I used this amp along with the EA 1x10 Whizzy cab (19 pounds) each day I played at the Moses Graphite booth (makers of the NS/Stick neck and the graphite models of the Stick). EA hooked me up with this small, lightweight powerhouse of a rig, which fits into a square backpack that I wore leaving the show, with the NS/Stick in an anvil flight case in one hand, and my small camera case with my business cards/cds in the other hand. I looked like a walking music store, and purposefully strolled by the EA booth on the way out, knowing Larry, the company owner would get a kick out of it and take a photo, which he did right away. Told him to send it to me so I can put it up on my site. It's pretty hilarious.

So yay, I made it through another year, and another NAMM Show!! I actually had a bit of post-NAMM depression when I came home last night, already missing some of the people I was hanging with, and wish I could have spent more time with some other people I met/was looking forward to meeting. Oh well, there's always next year!

10-22-07

Wildfires burning all over SoCal since last Saturday, but all is well here at my pad in Sherman Oaks.

I was at the filming of Serj Tankian's video shoot for his song, "Praise The Lord... Pass The Ammunition" a few months ago at The Roxy, and the cd will be released tonight at Midnight. Hope I made the final cut of the video where we were thrashing like mad for about four hours. Talk about a workout!! Search for the video on Youtube.com or http://www.myspace.com/serjtankian.

Big thanks to all that came to the JIBILIAN show at The Roxy last month. We had a great time, and check the 'Video' page for clips from that show soon.

You can watch the latest video 'clip' of the solo section of 'SICK!' here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VgL0gXWaCQ. It was taken from my solo opening set for OHM at Tone Merchant's in Orange, CA on 8-11.

My buds, The Alex Skolnick Trio, played at Viper Room last month, and they sounded great, as usual. The guys crashed at my pad after the show, like the good old days in Detroit, and looking forward to seeing them again at Winter NAMM '08 in Anaheim.

Been busy working on pre-production for the next JIBILIAN cd, and getting my current drummer, Steve DeLollis, up to speed on the newer tunes.

JIBILIAN T-Shirts are in the works, and I'll have samples of the shirt/s up on the site when they're in stock.

Have a very scary Halloween, and stay safe!

4-8-07

Happy Easter/Passover/Whatever you may be celebrating today!! Some of the highlights since my last update (last year!!!):

NAMM Show was awesome, as usual. Played at the Moses Graphite booth on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the cool thing was that I didn't need to bring my NS/Stick, since we built one for Steve, the owner of the company, and he brought his instrument to display, which has the new graphite neck. Thanks to all the cool people I met at the booth, both new and former friends/acquaintances, and especially to Moses and Stick Enterprises for having me play. Great to see the Euphonic Audio friends at their booth, and checking out their new line of gear like the Micro 300 amp and 1x10 cabinet, which are both on my 'Buy List.'

Saw Tony Levin Band perform on Friday night of the tradeshow, which was co-sponsored by Stick Enterprises, then raced over to the Hilton to check out an amazing show by Apex Theory as part of Sabian Night.

JIBILIAN was selected to play at the San Diego Indie Music Fest on March 3rd., along with Fishbone, Michelle Shocked; total of 70 bands out of 1,000 bands that submitted We hit at 7:30pm and had a very decent crowd that were really into our music. My good friend/Brother since we were kids, Jeff, was near San Francisco with work, and he flew down to check us out, and it was great hanging with him and our other Bro, Mark.

Two weeks later, on St.Patty's Day, we opened for Banyan for the 2nd time, last time was in LA in September '06. This time we played at a new club in San Diego (Ocean Beach) called Winston's, and the night was a blast. We played a 70 minute set, so we had time to play way more material than we normally do on most shows. So glad some of my cousins came out to this show, and they loved it.

The Roxy show we did in W.Hollywood was also very cool. Great sound and playing by all the bands on the bill.

Just played last night at a very cool art gallery/music room in the Valley called The Variety Room/Guitar Merchants, and my friend, Lucy, brought her artwork for us to display during our set, on stage between Alex and myself. The piece was the NS/Stick, complete with real strings! She still has some work to do, like the inlays, so I couldn't take it home with me, but it'll be up on my wall soon.

Recorded over an instrumental guitar track for a great guitarist, Dennis Lotka, for his third cd which should be out in about a month. Dennis is a great guy, and the tune was originally titled, "Adrenalin," but he changed it to "More Adrenalin" since I'm putting my playing on it as well. Thanks Brah!! I'm pretty much playing distorted lines on the NS, and it just has a very evil growl to it when I play a single D or C note on the 'B' string (.128 gauge). I added some original riffs to it as well, and lengthened a section, soloed a bit here and there.... Great to have total musical freedom to do whatever I wanted to the tune, and we're really happy the way it turned out. Now we just have to mix it, then ship it off to get pressed. Another really cool thing is that the other guest musician on the cd is Chris Poland, who is the original guitarist from Megadeath, and has his own incredible fusion band here in LA called OHM with Robert Pagliarri on 6 string fretless bass, and Kofi Baker on drums (Ginger Baker's son!!). Heard Chri's solos on the two tunes, and they're on fire. I'm very honored to be on the same cd with such great players, and it's leading to some other very cool possibilities which are just in the talking stage at this point, but my gut is feeling good about it all so I'm going with it like I always have.

My latest endeavor has been entering the world of midi. Emmett installed the Roland GK-2 midi pickup on my NS/Stick in January, and it allows me to incorporate midi samples of real instruments like sax, flute, violin, human voice, bells, fretless bass.... into my playing. I can program whatever part of my existing songs I have, to play a certain midi accompaniment on top of that part, and change it as each part of the song changes.

To give you an idea of what one of my tunes sound like with midi on top of it, here's a recording of 'Tango Tingo' I recorded at home: http://www.garyjibilian.com/Tango%20Tingo%20midi.mp3

12-10-06

Holy crap! Once again, I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated my 'News' page. Sorry to those of you who check out this page five times a day, waiting for an update (yeah, I wish, right?).

Too many things to list, or remember, since the last update, so I'm just going to write whatever comes into my cluttered mind.

Had a great show with Banyan at Fais Do Do in September. Love that club, and the turnout was great, and nearly everybody stayed there all night, enjoying the music, art, food, drink, my incredibly funny jokes.... Traded my cd for a killer print by an amazing Artist, Norton Wisdom, who paints on a huge erasable canvas behind Banyan while they're playing. Here's the print I chose: http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/nowisdom/blind-guitarist.jpg. Pretty fucking sick, huh? So very much my taste. Check out his work here: http://www.myspace.com/nowisdom.

Attended the Tim Sweeny "Advanced Music Strategies" seminar in October, and so glad I did. Learned a ton of information on what to do to get more people to your shows, sell more cds, the future of the music biz... One of the best things about the seminar was knowing that most of everything I've been doing to promote myself is what Tim was telling us to do. Met a ton of great musicians, and great people with no attitudes. On Saturday night, most of us signed up to play a tune in the auditorium where the conference was held (Hilton LAX), and I played 'SICK!' and the crowd really dug it.

Saw Primus last Wednesday, and got in for free, totally by chance after running into my Armenian Bro, Ara, who booked us for the Armenian Genocide Benefit last April at the Henry Fonda Theater. He stood in line with us and when we got up to the ticket booth, he realized that he knew the girl behind the glass. She hooked us up with three comp tickets and we did a little happy dance as we waited in line. Incredible show; didn't miss a beat.

The next night I went to see OHM at the Baked Potato. Been a while since they played there and they jammed some new tunes. Tear your head off music, which I'm a big fan of. Looking to book a show with these guys in the near future.

Last night, I went to see Children of Bodom, after being 'told' to go see them by my ex Finish girlfriend (the band is from Finland) Sari. So glad I did, since I've been itching to go to a big Metal show with moshing long haired sweaty fans. These guys put on a hell of a show, and they are all incredible musicians who write some of the most catchy tunes. I've also been listening to Opeth's latest cd and love the hell out of it. If you get it, you will love it, and you will thank me and call me 'Sir.'

I feel like I'm on tour seeing all these bands within four days, but the best concert will be next week, when I see Mike Stern, Dennis Chambers, and Victor Wooten play at the Catalina Bar in Hollywood. They're going to play two sets a night from Tuesday trough Sunday. Insane!!!

Taking a break from playing shows right now, mainly due to the holiday season, and it's tough to get people to come out and see you this time of year. Looking forward to the NAMM show next month, but quite disappointed that Stick will not have a booth again this year, especially with the latest run of NS/Sticks in various stains. Hope to see some of you at the show, especially at the Hilton parties!!!

8-13-06

Getting ready for our show this Friday at Fais Do Do in LA. Had a great practice yesterday with Alex, mostly due to the fact that we haven't jammed in a while. I like to take a break from jamming sometimes since you always come back with more fire and fury.

My trip to play in Ann Arbor, first time I've been back in Detroit since moving out here, went incredibly well. Played a very tight set with Dave Taylor on drums, who did an awesome job (we haven't played together in a year and a half or so), and the crowd at the first ever 'Stickfest' was very responsive. It was great to see so many familiar faces, and a big thanks to Glenn Poorman, PT Quinn, Steve Oz, Greg Howard, and especially Emmett Chapman. All the players/bands who performed that day were incredible, and it was so cool seeing my good friends, co-conspirator, play a set and catch up on things.

Looking forward for a session I have next Saturday where I'll be playing fretless, along with my cousin Christopher on drums (he's Virgil Donati's webmaster and tech!!), and Alan Alpanian on guitar who has a killer home studio, and shreds like a madman. Should be a blast, and I'm glad to finally put my fretless chops to the test. Been practicing fretless on a nearly daily basis for the past 9 months, and it's like discovering a new instrument.

Had a great time at the Birthday party we had here a few weeks back. Thanks for all who came, and especially to Kate for taking care of so many things. Had my own personal choir, including Justin Guarini from the 1st season of American Idol, sing 'Happy Birthday' was pretty awesome!

5-23-06

Can't believe I've been out in LA for just over a year now!! May 7th was my one year anniversary and I'm so thankful for all the great things that have happened to me in such a shot time. Let's see... Looking back, I can think of: Landing a solo JIBILIAN gig just three weeks after I moved out here at The Pike Bar in Long Beach, and a full page interview with me in the Long Beach Press Telegram paper "Weekend" section promoting the gig. Finding Dusty Schaller to play drums for me on two other gigs was great, then for him to turn me on to my current drummer, Alex Carlisle, was another thing I'm very grateful for. Playing the Armenian Genocide Benefit on April 23rd at the Henry Fonda Theater was pretty amazing as well, and one of the biggest gigs of my life, since it gave me great exposure to the So Cal Armenian community, and in an awesome theater setting with pro sound and lights. Being asked to play at "Stickfest" was quite an honor, and that'll take place outdoors in Ann Arbor, MI on July 15, 2006, which will be a nice homecoming for me.

Just got back from our show at Star Shoes, a very cool club in LA. Pretty much all the gigs I've done out here have been really sweet, and the crowd response has been awesome. Big thank you to all the other bands on the bills we've played on, and people like Ara, Jael, Lucy, Avo, and a ton of others who have helped spread the word about our music. Looking forward to another great year!!!

4-28-06

Still on a natural high from our show last Sunday at the Henry Fonda Theater. Biggest gig of my life and it was incredible. All the bands/performers were great, especially Apex Theory, and the big jam at the end of the night with John Dolmayan and P-Nutt was pretty sweet. Playing to a venue filled with fellow Armenians was a very unique experience. We only had time to play four tunes, but it was almost better that way, and hope to see some of the audience at our future shows where we can play a longer set. The lights and sound were top-notch, and we played a pretty decent set. Should have video clips from that night up soon. Big thanks to Ara for producing the show and inviting us to play. Can't wait for our show next Thursday at Knitting Factory.

3-25-06

Last night was my first gig out since last Fall, and the first time playing out with Alex on drums. We were invited on the bill by an awesome band, Excessive Acts, at a very cool venue called Hanger 1018 in the warehouse district of LA. The place is an art gallery and live music is played by bands who they have alternate on the inside stage and outdoor smoking area/patio which is where we played. Great turnout and many friends, some who I haven't seen since the good old MSU days, came out to see us jam. The crowd really dug it and we played a pretty decent set considering it was our first time playing out together, though we practiced enough times to where our confidence level was at a decent level.

Made many new fans, especially with fellow Armenians that were there, which also led to some other cool show possibilities in the near future. Keep checking the 'Gigs' page for more info.

Our next show is on Easter Sunday, 4-16, 7pm at The Cat Club in W. Hollywood. Quite a few people so far have told me that they plan on being there so it should be a great time. Be there!!!!

1-2-06

Here's the obligatory "Happy New Year!!" to all of you. December just flew by, but it was pretty fun, at least what I remember of it. Let's see, I saw Buckethead at the El Rey in LA, and that was pretty awesome. He just tore it up and the band was tight. Bucket played a really intense show and Pinchface on drums was cracking me up all night.

Also saw OHM open for Umphree's McGhee there a few weeks later, and that show was pretty insane as well. Great music all night, and it was my first time seeing Umphree's. Their music is all over the place and really polished. I was getting kind of worried when they started sounding/singing like Dave Mathews, but then they changed gears and played some really cool sounding jams.

My gig at the Barrel was cool, and those who were there witnessed the crazy lady who didn't take her medication that day unplugging my cords from my pedals because she wanted to have a quiet conversation with the guy she just picked-up that night at the bar! After a few, "What the FUCK do you think you're doing???!!!!"'s they kicked her out and that's how the night ended. It was great publicity, though, and more people know about me from a direct result of that incident. Goes to show that there is no such thing as bad publicity! If I see her again, I want to thank her and buy her a drink. :)

Working-in a new drummer right now, Alex, who is quite the badass on the skins. He's studied with Tim Alexander for a while, and a slew of other cats, and his day job is working at Pork Pie, building drums. I think we'll get along just fine! Check out the Gigs page soon for live dates. I've got the invite to play at Zen Sushi and The Good Hurt as soon as we get a 45 minute set together. Can't wait!!

11-12-05

Last night was nutz. Went to The Good Hurt in Venice Beach to check out an incredible band from Philly, Dysrhythmia, that I've opened for in 2002 back in MI. Great to see them play again, and make sure you do the same if they come to your town. These guys tour constantly all over the country so check their site for dates. The first band, In This Moment, kicked off the night with some killer Metal, with an amazing female lead singer who wore a little girl's dress and looked all pretty, but she belted out some of the most brutal death growls I've ever heard!!

The insanity really kicked-in when OHM took the stage. These guys are totally whacked!!! I won't even get into it. Just check 'em the f**k out, would you?

All this for just $5!!! More money to spend on beer. Have a great day! :

11-2-05

So I walk into the Save-On Drugs last Sunday at 6pm to get a few things, and who do I see standing in the shampoo aisle? Paul Stanley from KISS!!! This is the second time I see him in person, the first was back in July while him and his fiancé were leaving a party where my cousin was at (she's best friends with her). I walked up to him and said, "Hey Paul!" He looked at me and said, "Hey. What's up?" I re-introduced myself and we talked for a minute or so. Then I took off down the aisles, grabbed a 12 of Sierra Nevada and a pack of Red Bull and dove home freaking at the odds of what just happened. How cool is that???? I love it out here! :))))

10-22-05

Saw Porcupine Tree last night at House of Blues and they sounded pretty damn incredible. I've only heard a few of their tunes before, so it was all pretty fresh to me. I think that's a great way to gauge if you really like a band; if they grab you for the first time live.

Went to the Baked Potato a few Mondays ago where I met some friends that moved out here from Detroit recently. The host band blew everyone away as usual, and Danny Carey made an appearance but didn't jam.

Got a gig on November 26 at The Barrel in Sherman Oaks. Check the "Gigs" page for the details. We play all night and I really want to incorporate some fretless bass playing with NS loops. Should be a fun gig.

9-28-05

The show last week at The Pike was awesome!!! Great turnout, and many familiar faces in the crowd. Thanks a ton to all who showed up, and especially to Melissa for all her hard work promoting the show, the after-party at her house, and for the lasagna which we ate days later. :) My roommate, Kate, cruised down with me and she had a blast seeing me play for the first time outside of the homestead. Dusty played great and we're looking forward to more gigs together at other venues around town. Big thanks also to Midnite who video taped the show, so check out the "Video" page on the site for some new clips.

It was great to spend time with my lifelong Bro, Jeff, who was in town for a week from Detroit. He rented a Harley and cruised up the coast for a few days, then came over to my place last Thursday along with our other Bro, Ed, and we had a great time just catching up on a ton of things. Too many late nights this past week, but well worth the red eyes in the morning.

9-7-05

Been rehearsing with a drummer, Dusty, getting ready for our gig at The Pike in LB on the 24th. Should be fun, and hope to have a decent turnout. We'll play together on the tunes that are tight, and the rest I'll play solo, and we'll probably make some stuff up on the fly at some point and just jam.

We sat-in and played three tunes at the Baked Potato jam a few Mondays ago, and it was great. Pumped us up to get out there and jam, and the crowd was pretty responsive to the tunes.

8-12-05

What a busy week it's been! Met Paul Stanley last Friday, though very briefly, as he and his fiancé were leaving a party at a restaurant in Redondo Beach. My cousin, Lynn, got me into the bash so I could meet him. Her close friend is getting married to Paul later this year. They were leaving just after I got there, and Lynn introduced us, and I was thinking to myself, "It's Paul Stanley from KISS!!!" I still think he dug my PS makeup but Lynn and Bill don't think so. The rest of the night was a blast and got progressively crazier by the minute. Open bar + empty stomach = stupid idiot. Just when I decided to grab a bite to eat at the awesome Brazilian buffet, they started taking the food away.

Got an invite from some friends in Long Beach the other day to go to the Hollywood Bowl last night for the LA Philharmonic. It was my first symphony I've been to, other than having to go in elementary school for a field trip, and I just couldn't get into the music much, especially the German singing women. The good thing is that we could bring beer & wine, so that made the night more enjoyable. I'd do it all again just to "shush" people. It cracked me up watching some of the diehard symphony-heads all around us, some who were there alone. The funniest was an older guy standing in the aisle (I think so more people could see him) acting like he was the conductor!!! I looked at him and he looked me right in the eye, like, "Yeah, I'm a Maestro too!" No, the funniest was later in the evening whenever the camera was on the conductor from the front angle, the back of the harpsichordist's head was covering his crotch area! Yes, the head was that of a female. I couldn't be the only sicko in the place that noticed that, especially since it happened a ton. Maybe that's why the conductor was smiling all night? Come to think of it, I had an awesome time! What fun. Pissed me off when I got shushed though.

8-3-05

Saw a great night of music last Friday at The Key Club. The headliner was Apex Theory, but all the other bands on the bill sounded great. A Jumpstart was really cool, and Opus Dai just kicked ass. Apex was awesome and the entire night had a cool progressive vibe to it. Met a ton of people, many fellow Armenians since most of the bands had Armenian members in it.

Working with a few drummers, but still a pain to get together with some of these people to rehearse. Things look great though once I find the right player who's ready and able to play out. Have been asked to be re-booked at The Pike in Long Beach. I think I'll do it solo again if I have to, but should have a drummer to play some of the tunes. Just don't want to wait too long before I gig again.

Went to the Baked Potato jam on Monday, and it was just plain amazing. The host band was shredding like mad, and did a great cover of "Godzilla." I'm gong up there next Monday to jam a tune or two on the NS. The jammers are top players and it's crazy to just sit there and listen.

6-27-05

Went to see Whitesnake last night at HOB Hollywood and it was a great show! Thanks to my cousin Lynn for hooking me up with a VIP pass, which also gave us access to the Foundation Room, and got to meet Tommy Aldridge, Doug Aldrich (incredible guitarist), and bassist Uriah Duffy. Rapped a bit after the show with Doug and he seemed really interested in the NS/Stick. I was quite blown-away by David Coverdale's powerful voice, especially considering how long he's been belting out on vocals for so long. Recently watched the movie "Rockstar," and I felt like I was on the set of the making of that film! I was happy to see Reb Beach shredding on guitar as well, and Tommy Aldridge's drum solo brought back memories of being in high school watching the live Ozzy video when Jake E. Lee was in the band.

Friday night was just as sweet when we went to see my buddies Helken tear it up at The Whiskey. They opened for us last year in Long Beach and these young guys should be on the Ozzfest tour. Very technical brutal Metal with killer guitar solos, vocals, drumming, and bass. Hope they go far.

Last Monday, I went to a local Blues jam with bass in hand and got up to play a few tunes with some great players. John, the host guitarist who runs the jam, told me he wanted to get me up again so I stuck around a while longer and got up with some more jammers. The second time was even tighter and I passed out some more business cards and made some more contacts. Haven't hit a jam in years and it felt great to do so, especially in a new place with new players and listeners. The drummer for the host band, Brooke, was very solid and I talked to him outside after the jam ended and told him I was looking for a drummer for my duo. He seemed really interested so I gave him a cd to check out and told him to call me if he was interested. He called the other day and is really excited to play the tunes, so we're getting together this Wednesday to jam. I'm really geeked about it since it's the first time I'm getting together with a drummer to play my tunes since moving out here. Once we get a 45 minute set worked out, I'll start booking some gigs. Can't effin' wait for that to happen.

Had a great gig last week with Eric Olsen and the boys. Very good night of jamming and looking forward to every Thursday next month at the Redondo Pier (Starboard Attitude). Also really digging my new EA 2x10 cabinet. I love how light it is to move around, and the sound is incredible.

Go see Whitesnake when they come to your town!!!!

6-10-05

Been really busy and the fast pace of living out here is something that you have to get used to quick. Nothing is laid-back here like I've been told. You have to schedule everything you do, especially driving to get somewhere, or you'll be wasting time. At times you feel like you're out of breath, but it's awesome out here. Saw Virgil Donatti and Tony MacAlpine a few weeks back at the Baked Potato, and Tony remembered me from opening for CAB back in '01. He said he'll give me a call when they get back from Australia and we'll jam out. Talk about another dream come true for me! That would be insanely cool. Still looking for a drummer for my duo, but it's more like finding the time to rehearse with one of the few that I've been in contact with for the past few months.

Had a bass gig last Saturday with a killer Blues band, and the club booked us to play there every Thursday in July. It's a good start, and the players in the band are all top notch. Eric Olsen, the guitarist/singer, just moved out here from Maryland and he's a hungry cat like me, so things are happening. I'll write more soon.... Thanks for your emails!

5-23-05

Finally found a decent place to live. It's a guesthouse in Sherman Oaks with my own private entrance. Great area to live since it's walking distance to a ton of shops and restaurants. I'll be moving in starting tomorrow, as well as starting my new day job, which is working at Stick Enterprises, learning the unique trade of building the Stick and NS/Stick. Huge thanks to Emmett and Yuta for the offer to work for them at SE. Having a day job was a major concern for me when I decided to move out here, not to mention doing something that I like, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to have a job offer such as this.

I also landed my first gig which is here in Long Beach on 5-28 at The Pike Bar. I'll be doing two solo sets, and not sure if there's anyone else on the bill, so it'll allow me to stretch out a bit and do some of my newer material, though it's mostly all new to the people here. Met quite a few people that were at our show at Koos in Long Beach in Jan.'04 while we were at the NAMM show.

Got to jam out on bass last night at a party with my old friends Craig and Tony, and it felt great. I've known them guys from 15 years ago when me and Ed went to MSU, and we were in a band called Sinister Grinn with Craig on drums.

5-16-05

I love LA! Arrived last Saturday and been staying with my friend/brother, Ed, in Long Beach, checking out places to live near my new day job in Woodland Hills, which is way up in the valley. Really like it here in LB; the clubs, people, scenery, getting around town.... Looking to set up some gigs and hit some open mics in the area soon. Found a killer guesthouse in Encino at the top of the mountain just south of Ventura. The room is private with my own entrance, and the front of the house has a partial view of the valley below. It'll be a 6 month lease, so I'll be able to look for another place while I stay there. It'll be a nice retreat for me and I know I'll be able to concentrate on my writing.

Last night, Ed and I met up with my cousins at a club on the Redondo Pier, where every Sunday a killer Blues/Rock band plays. The bass player, Sean, has played with a ton of acts (Great White), and the singer's dad is Paul Shortino Sr., who sang for Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot, and many other bands for the past. They kicked ass, and I sat-in for a few tunes with another guest guitarist named Erik Olsen, who wants me to play bass for his project. The guys in the band also said they'd help me out in the gig department, and it was an awesome felling to get that first playing session under my belt, even though it was just a few tunes. It's kind of freaky when you're forced not to play for a certain time, but it makes it that much better when you do.

Another thing that's been driving me crazy is that both my NS/Stick cases are locked, and my keys are back home!!! I had them mailed out last week and should have received them by now, but haven't, and it really sucks not being able to even look at my axes! The locks aren't as cheesy as you'd think, and I couldn't get them to open with my small allen wrench. I can get one from Stick, but first want to see if they arrive today.

Have to go to a club today in Long Beach to try to set up a gig. The club is owned by the former drummer for Social Distortion, Chris, and even if I don't have a drummer in place, it's a perfect place for a solo gig. Also looking forward to playing a few tunes at an open mic a week from tomorrow which is hosted by a friend of Ed's. It's also great to see some people that saw me play here last year, and really can't wait to start playing gigs with a drummer.

Got to run. Tons of stuff to take care of this week as well, but once I get settled-in, all should be cool.

4-24-05

Well, it's all set. I'll be flying out to LA on May 7th. Lots of packing to do and getting things ready to ship out. Still need to sell my van and power washing machine, so if you or someone you know is looking to start a small business, this is a great opportunity, and I'm only asking for around $6,000 for both the van and machine. Email me if you're interested. Had a decent gig last night at Severance Gallery, and looking forward to our show this Thursday at TNT's. Last chance to get your dose of Zig for a while. Really sorry to my buds co-conspirator and Annabelle's in Akron for not being able to do the show on the 7th. I'll make it up to you guys, for sure.

I've been invited by Joe Anthony to sit in the WRIF studios tonight on the local show, so that should be cool. Joe's a great guitarist that played at the Hard Rock Detroit on Friday, and we were going to hook up to do some jammin' but now I'm moving and all, so it's on hold for a while.

Not sure if I'll be able to write again till I'm in LA, so thanks to everyone here in Detroit for your support, especially the people that have helped spread the word about what I do. Really appreciate it, and I hope to come back here once a year to play a show or two, so keep checking the site, and send me an email requesting to be on the email list. My entire address book got erased thanks to the idiots at Comp USA in Troy.

See you in the future!!!

4-15-05

Had an awesome gig last night at US12. We played first, and the place had a pretty decent crowd at 10pm. We played a short, but powerful set, and the crowd really dug it. Ed was on fire and we played a tight set, considering we didn't practice since our last gig at The Buddha. Many thanks to Jay Hudson form WRIF for having us play, and for the airplay. The other bands on the bill sounded great also. Frequency 54 just kicked major ass, especially on their last few tunes. The lead guitarist did some killer sweeps, and the singer belted it out pretty good.

My plans for moving to LA are going smooth, and I hope to be out there in the 2nd week of May. Things are moving at a fast pace with each passing day, and I've been selling quite a few pieces of gear on ebay. Had a guy from Pittsburgh buy my Genz-Benz 6x10 bass cabinet. He drove up here last Sunday to pick it up with a buddy of his who bought 14 of my vinyl albums, including my Slayer autographed "Live Undead" picture disk which I forgot I even had!!! Looking to sell my work van/hot water power washer for $5,500, so if you're interested, email me to take a look at it. Great business, especially if you're a musician since you can set your own hours. Also thinking of selling my Euphonic Audio 2x10 cabs, then buying new ones when I get out there. Awesome cabs for bass, Stick, NS/Stick, and keys.

Got a cool gig on Saturday, April 23 at Severance Gallery, as part of the MCMC. Check out the Gigs page for the info.

3-10-05

Strange gig last week opening for the John Novello Project. The major fault for the weirdness was the early show time (Doors at 6pm on a Thursday!). The place was dead, as predicted, and the club owner was freaked-out and was telling us he was going to cancel the gig. This was after everyone was set up and after the soundcheck! Anyway, we ended up playing a short set, and it was good to see a few people that said they would be there show up, and Novello and his band really dug us as well, so it was a decent night for us. Then Novello go up there and tore it up for about an hour, and that was it. I left there at 9pm, and I think that was the weirdest part of the night. Just everything was "off." Now you may be wondering why this show started so early. Because there's a DJ that packs 'em in every Thursday at nine! So instead of bumping the DJ for one night, the show had to start at a time when people are sitting in their cars stuck in traffic. If it was a Sat/or Sunday, I can see it happening where people would show up for an early gig, but not on a Thursday. It did bring back memories of being in high school and going to see Halloween at the Ritz for a matinee show at 4pm. Remember the matinee shows at Blondies? So many of the big name bands would play an all ages early show on a Saturday, then another show at night for the 18 and older crowd (12 and older for girls). :)

Our gig at US12, which was scheduled for tonight, isn't happening since we weren't listed in the ads for it, and I don't just want to show up and rely on people that may have saw the flyers, or just from the people on the mailing list. We moved the gig to Thursady, April 21, still at US12. Call in to WRIF and request a tune from the cd. They have it, and said they played it a few weeks ago on the local Sunday show.

Also selling a bunch of gear and other items before we put the house up for sale, so email me if you're interested in any of the following:

-8x4 Olhausen Pool Table: http://detroit.craigslist.org/spo/62618040.html Awesome table, black w/purple top! $850.00

-SWR SM-900 Bass Amp and/or SWR Son of Bertha 1x15 Bass Cab: http://detroit.craigslist.org/msg/62740526.html $900 for the amp only, $325 for the cabinet, $1,100 for both.

-Genz Benz 6x10 Bass Cab. Awesome cab for those Big Gigs! $400.

-Huge Drum Set, Pearl Export Jet Black, 9 drums total: 2 kicks, 10/12/13/14 racks, 16/18 floor toms, Ludwig Supraphonic 5.5"x14" snare (incredible snare, and the one Todd Glass used on the cd!). Cymbals: Paiste Sound Reflections, 20" ride, 18" crash, 14" hats, Paiste 1000 16" crash/ride, Paiste 2000 16" crash. Cymbals were also used on the "Galaxy Rodeo" cd, so you can get an idea of how they sound. All stands and hardware, kick pedals included: $825.00.

-2 EV 3 way PA Cabs. 15, 10, + horn, these are the old, heavy duty Stage Series cabs, and they're built to last forever. Great for the basement practice area or for a gig. $175 each, or $300 for the pair.

-Ibanez BTB 5000OL. Killer 5 string bass, and one of the best playing/sounding basses Ibanez has ever made. Beautiful natural oil finish, sweepable mids, two Ibanez pickups, active EQ, tons of tone shaping. Haven't played it for the past three years. Near mint condition. $800.00.

-Dodge B250 Ram Cargo Van, '94. Original owner, 113.000 miles, AC needs a tuneup, factory AM/FM radio is dead (you'll want to put in a new one anyway), tilt wheel, cruise control, black tinted side/back windows, ABS, towing package, rear step bumper, rubber floor mat in cargo area, intermittent wiper blades, ashtray, dome lights, fine imitation leather seats.... $3,500.00. Great for musicians or bands. Newer trans, water pump, tune-up, coil, oil change every 3,000. Lots of highway miles.

-LANDA PGHW Platinum Series skid mounted hot water pressure washer. Original owner in '94, stored inside of van entire time since. 3,000psi, 200 degrees water at the flick of a switch. This is not what they sell at Home Depot! Serious contractor machine built for everyday use. Top of the line manufacturer and their best model, which sells new for $7,000.00. I'm letting her go for only $3,500.00. Great business opportunity, especially for musicians who want to set their own hours and work at your own pace. I'll also hook you up with all my past client paperwork/leads/proposals at no extra charge. Seriously, this machine will pay for itself very quick with the jobs you get.

-Buy the power washer and van both: $6,000.00. You're in business!!!

Let me know if you're interested and we'll set up a time to check out the goods. gary@garyjibilian.com.

2-8-05

The Buddha gig was awesome again! Really love the sound in this room. Played another new "tune." More like a new riff I came up with that I just wanted to play out and see what happens. Looped it and played over it. I named the riff "Meat Slicer," and it's fitting if you hear it. I use the arpeggiator patch on my GT-3 for the main riff. Just a few more weeks and we're back there again, so come on out.

Another cool gig was The Emerald a few weeks ago. The house system had a glitch in the wiring which took time away from our set, but after Ed set them straight, we were good to go. This was the first gig for me and Ed together, and it went well. Had some problems hearing his kit, so we had a few rough spots, but overall things were great, and we had a good time. Great crowd there for a Thursday, and all the other bands sounded great. Many thanks to Tony and Last Odyssey for inviting us on the bill. You guys sounded awesome!

In other news, though it's not set in stone just yet, I'm seriously thinking of making the move out to LA this year. Not sure exactly when, but when I do, I'll post it here for sure, and to my email list. Things have been great here for me, but it's time to see if I can take what I do to the next level, and go where the people in the biz are and see if I can turn some heads out on the West Coast. Been thinking about it for quite some time, especially after going there last year and doing gigs and seeing the potential of what could happen. If I don't do it soon, the chance may pass, and I'll always wonder, "What if?" Plus, the day job situation for me here is pretty bleak, as well as the working bass gigs that used to be more consistent, have been pretty scarce lately. I know it'll be tough out there, and if I have to resort to getting a day gig at Guitar Center, I'd do it out there than here. It's to the point where whatever I do, I'd rather do out there than here. Ok, I'll admit it... I'M SICK OF WINTER!!!!

I admit that I'm a dreamer. I had a dream of playing the shit out of the NS/Stick while I waited 8 months for it to arrive. Never played one, but just had a gut feeling I could do it. Then to think of all the awesome things that have happened after I got it (look at my "Past Gigs" page and archived news), some of which I couldn't even think of dreaming up, but they happened. Plus, I'm a pretty lucky guy, and that never hurts either. I appreciate everything good that happens to me, but I want more, which is a good thing. Maybe things are better for me right here, but I'll never know unless I find out for myself. There can be only so many things that just fall into your lap, then after that you have to start making things happen. That's kind of where I'm at right now.

If I do make the move out there, and able to stay out there, I hope to make it back here and the other cities I've been playing these past 4 years.

1-7-05

Hope you all had a great New Year's Rockin' Eve, and/or whatever else you celebrate during the Winter months. We had a great Christmas and New Years this year (technically last year). On X-Mas Eve, Denise and I watched the present I gave her. ELVIS Aloha From Hawaii on DVD!!! Nobody can sing like the King, especially when he belts out those over-the-top endings of most of his songs. NYE at The Buddha was a blast, as expected.

Speaking of the Buddha, our first gig there was very cool. Thanks to all that showed up, and looking forward to seeing you there on the 28th. We're booked to play there on the last Friday of each month, and the owner wants to record us and release a "Live at The Buddha" cd in the near future. The acoustics in that room are incredible! Quite a few people commented on how clear everything sounded, especially the people that have seen us many times in the past. The lows were really tight and focused, and considering the small size of the room, we didn't blow any eardrums out. I unveiled my new tune called "Electronix," and it felt really good to finally play it on a gig. It's cool because it's a pretty loose tune with just two changes, and I loop some layers of lines and solo on top for most of the tunes, but it's the effect that I use that really makes the song sound unique. Very robotic, video game like tune that makes me question my sanity 5 minutes into it. :) I've been working on another riff for a new tune that's in the same style, which makes the Electronix riff sound like a Sinatra tune!

Some crazy shit that happened as we were setting up was that my AC-DC power adapter for my effects processor took a dive, and the only way to make it work was to push the wire into the transformer box which is midway in the cord. As soon as you let it go, the power would shut off, like there was an open in the cord. I thought, "That's it, I can't do this gig, or I've got to run my NS clean!" Then Jail, one of the waitresses at the Buddha, said she can fix it, and took some chicken wire and duct tape and messed around with it for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, I called my friend Jeff who has the newer version on my pedal board, and he said he'd bring his adapter. Dave called some of his coworkers at Guitar Center and they located an adapter there, and said they'll bring it to the gig. Then Jail comes up to me and says, "I fixed it." I walked over to my rig, and sure enough, it was working! A little while later, it quite again, but by then Jeff came, then so did the GC guys, so I had two brand new adapters! Close call.

We've got a gig at The Emerald Theater on Thursday, January 27 with some other great bands. Check out the Gigs page for more details and times. It's an early, all ages show, so for those of you with kids and early morning jobs, this is the show for you to make it to.